6x14 Cargo trailer conversion

[Chris338378]

Your shack looks better and better with every picture. 

[Chris00WJ]

Your shack looks better and better with every picture.

Thanks for the kind words.  I was considering not posting anymore pics because there hasnt been much of a response. 

[Lavman]

Not to worry, all us guys are constantly checking on your build updates even if we don't comment. We love shack porn! 

[tightliner812]

Not to worry, all us guys are constantly checking on your build updates even if we don't comment. We love shack porn! 

X 2

I got to say I really like what you have posted . I know I have looked at it several times . I have thought about building something like this someday for when I travel to fish .

[just_a_beer_man]

I check it everyday!  keep up the good work.  Coming along very nicely.

[fish-kabob]

love the shack! keeps me coming back for more!

[Kilbourn]

I check it everyday!  keep up the good work.  Coming along very nicely.

X2

[Chris00WJ]

Slowly but surely.  I've been working on the hole locations.
 


As you can see there has been some changes.  Originally I was thinking location "A", however I didnt like it being right in front of the door.  I dont want to have to worry about my daughter falling in a hole trying to get in or out of the shack.  Location "B" way up front isnt totally ideal because it is so close to the bench and cabinets, but that hole will probably primarily be for the underwater camera or sonar. 

No turning back now!


Im not sure why the hole looks so oddly shaped.  Its a perfect circle I swear.

One down, 3 more to go...for now.





You can see where there's a circle and an "X".  That hole was unfortunately directly over the solid axle so wouldnt work.

And here's the front two completed holes.


And last but not least, the now completely functional thermostat for the propane furnace.  I need a slightly longer hose for the nose, but that's easy enough.  And once I can find the proper jack for the nose I can hopefully fit a dual propane tank mount on the front.



Still lots more to do, but it will have to wait for more cashflow. 

[Chris00WJ]

I didnt feel like sleeping tonight so I went out to the garage and started staining some trim pieces.  I don't think I got enough done for the entire shack, but its a start.  I still have to put a couple coats of urethane on them before I can install them.  Install will be done via staples.  Its a shack, it doesn't need a perfect finish

I used "ipswich pine" or something stain on the walls of the trailer.  I was going through my paint cabinet in the garage and found one shade darker of stain in the same brand.  Freebie!

[fish-kabob]

looks great makes me want to go buy a trailer right now how well yours came out! by the way any bunk ideas? for spending the night?   

[Chris00WJ]

I've got plenty of ideas, but nothing has been put into effect quite yet. 

I've been thinking E-Track on the walls 8 ft in length and making some sort of folding bunk that clicks into place when required.  When it isnt needed, I can make some chairs that click into place instead.  I've got some folding table legs that I may use for this project.  The bunks are on the short list.  In the meantime if I want to camp in the trailer I'll just use an inflatable air mattress.

[jhill]

Looking good!  Thanks for sticking with the pic sharing...

[Chris00WJ]

Unfortunately not much has happened on the trailer lately.  I used it today to go get the quad from the shop.  $1500 later.  Ugh.

For now it's just storage.  Life is pretty crazy right now with hunting season just starting up (I leave friday) and I'll be in the Dominican Republic for the entire month of November on vacation.  Then into Christmas time.  When january rolls around the ice should be thick enough to start ice fishing, and then it will get its work out.  Once I've been able to use it for a bit Im sure I'll find things I want to add or change etc. 

I might start work on the beds and mounts for the power auger inside when I get back from hunting.

[Chris00WJ]

Long time, no post!

Life has been pretty crazy lately so I havent touched the trailer until today.  I was out of the country for 5-6 weeks and work/life has been kicking my rear.

Today I forced myself to go out and work on the trailer a little bit.  I cleaned out the garage so make room for the quad and pulled the trailer out of its parking spot to unload the quad.  Once I had some room in the trailer I pulled one of the wall panels to (eventually) figure out why one of my rear taillights has been giving me issues.  More on that later.

I did some cleaning up inside and got one of the e-track rails for the bed cut to length and mounted.  Im hoping that 7ft x 28 or 30" will be sufficient for one grown man.  That will leave me 8-10" to walk through between the beds.  Not much room, but thats the problem with a 6' wide trailer.  I'll make a "bridge" to connect the beds for when its just the GF and I. 

I also put a drawer catch on one of the drawers to test it out. It doesnt hold very well.  Im not very happy with it.  The last thing I want is the drawers flying open while driving down the road.  What has everyone else done to resolve this issue?  Im going to keep my eye out for proper RV latches, but I want to keep it as clean looking as possible.

My GF is flying back home to visit family for Christmas and the plan is to have her mom sew me some cushions for the benches.  If that happens I will be one very happy man.  Plus her going away for a week means I have some time to get things done on the trailer!  Yay!

Photo updates to come this week hopefully.  Im still alive and this project is still ongoing!  I promise!

[NHGunowner]

Great thread Chris, nice work. You drop a line through one of those holes yet?

[prospector]

Just went through this thread and am impressed! I have a 6x12' cargo trailer that I want to do this to. What are some ideas for insulating the floors? Also, you mentioned some cool ideas for the bunk bed setup. Thanks.

[Chris00WJ]

I actually haven't been able to drop a line through one of those holes yet, but the trailer has come ice fishing with me so I can use the quad.

The weather here has been unseasonably warm and unpredictable so ice condition hasn't been the greatest.  I finally drove the truck on 2 days ago and it was thick enough for both so I intend to give the trailer its maiden voyage onto the ice on the 10th and stay overnight to fish the 11th as well.

Newly acquired for the trailer is the DVD player, and Im trading a buddy my fishTV for his Aquavu Quad Cam so it can connect to the TV in the shack. 

As for the floor insulation, I intend to use the same foam that I used for the walls but doubled up.  Im hoping road debris doesn't beat on the foam too badly or too quickly.  The trailer was built utilizing 2x2 angle iron and 2x2 square tubing for the floor structure.  I'll use PL Premium adhesive and an array of jacks to hold the foam in place while the adhesive dries.  Once that's done, I'll probably attempt to secure the foam further with some sort of strapping that runs the entire length front to back.

At the moment I don't really feel like laying in the snow in -30C weather trying to squeeze the frozen adhesive onto the foam and cut it to size.  So I will be going without floor insulation for now.  Hopefully the little propane furnace can keep up or it will be a chilly night!

Im taking the generator and some tools with me to work on the odd thing on the trailer in between landing fish. 

[Chris00WJ]

Well, the time has come.  The trailer is loaded up, and I'll be leaving in about 45 minutes.....a day earlier than I had planned.  Haha.  The excitement was killing me so we're going to go for some burbot tonight, I'll stay out on the ice in the trailer, and my buddy will come back again in the morning.

Its still nowhere near finished.  Upper cabinets, countertops, flooring, etc etc all need to be completed.  But its too cold outside to work on it, so I may as well fish out of it instead.

I'll be sure to provide updates throughout the trip!

[fish-kabob]

Its still nowhere near finished.  Upper cabinets, countertops, flooring, etc etc all need to be completed.  But its too cold outside to work on it, so I may as well fish out of it instead.

I'll be sure to provide updates throughout the trip!

better yet pictures of fishing in it let us know how your lay out works for you. let us know if you need to change the design of the floor plan at all? or it is awesome for next year to etc...etc...

[Whopper Stopper]

This has been a great thread!

I can't believe I just noticed it. Excellent job on the build

 and some very nice pictures to boot!

                        WS

[perchtrapper]

^^^yeah no doubt^^^ gotta say after going through the whole thread I was a little disappointed when I got here but I will be watching for the completion of this, great job.

[Chris00WJ]

Well, Im home.  Early.  Haha.  Everything went pretty well, all things considered.

I had a bit of a mis-hap about 5 minutes from home when the hitch came unlatched and the trailer bounced off the hitch.  Thank god for safety chains!  That'll teach me to not use the security pin.  A quick call to a buddy and we were able to lift it back up on the Jeep.  The only damage was to the already barely functional trailer jack.  I was able to "steer" the trailer into the snow bank on the side of the road to slow it down and used my truck as well. It bent the part of the jack that sticks below the tongue, so when I tried cranking it back up I cranked the handle right off the top of the jack.  Snapped it.  Oh well, I needed a new one anyway.



Now with bad luck out of the way I continued on to the lake.  Or so I thought.  A buddy was supposed to meet me but was having issues loading his snowmobile in the back of his truck.  So I had to turn around after waiting at the lake for 15-20 minutes and drive to his place to help him get the sled in the truck.  Not a good start!

By the time I got to the lake I was getting worried about driving the beast on the ice if this was how my day was going to go.  Lol.  But on I went, and had no ice issues.

As for the run down report........I need a countertop and WAY more storage.  Bad.  Batteries are top of my list as well.  I knew the poor battery I had was going to be an issue, but I didnt realize how much of an issue.  All in all, it went pretty great.  I could have caught more fish of course, but thats always the case. 

The first night I turned the furnace off and put the big buddy heater next to my cot just in case I got cold.  I wanted to see how it did. I got up a couple times throughout the night and turned the heater on for 2-3 minutes at a time to heat the place up again, but that was it.  I didnt want to run the furnace all night because I knew it would be a power hungry pig on the battery.   

The second night I ran the furnace all night without issue.  I had the genny running for a bit through the night because I had the underwater camera hooked up and displayed on the big screen (massive 19", lol). 

The "hole sleeves" that I used were actually crazy carpets because I couldnt find a pipe the right diameter and finding someone to ship the proper 18" sleeves to Canada for a decent price has proved to be difficult.  It made for a colorful fishing experience, but it worked pretty well for the most part.  I screwed them into the side of the hole cover/floor at the right diameter to keep them in place and hold their shape. 

It certainly wasnt ideal, or a perfect fit as you can see.  But they worked ok.



I discovered that the E-track tie down points worked great as rod holders, and that one of those cheap magnetic bolt/screw trays works great for holding most lures/hooks between switches.



It's tough to see in this pic, but the underwater camera is going in full force, and a jig down the same hole.  Everything worked flawlessly except for battery life, but that was expected.  Brand new dual deep cycles are coming soon.



Here's a pic of the back of the trailer in action.  The hole placement is pretty good.  The front hole is almost difficult to drill because of the cabinets and bench right there.  I didnt factor in the auger handle width etc, but because I have a long extension on my Jiffy Model 76 it cuts through without issue.  My buddies auger wouldnt make it through the ice in the front hole.  I'd like to have some more holes eventually and get rid of the solid axle so this thing drops down, but one thing at a time.  Excuse the disaster area. 



The furnace did well considering the temps.  It was running more than I would have liked, but with no floor insulation and pretty poor seals on the crazy carpet hole sleeves I cant complain.  I stayed warm and that's all that matters.  The fan on the furnace is starting to squeal a little bit.  It likely needs new fan bearings, but I'll see if I can get away with a little bit of WD40 instead for a while.

Excuse the haze in the last picture, the trailer got a little hot boxed with some Cuban cigars.

I took my Clam Voyager in the trailer just incase we wanted to scout a little on the lake and tow it behind buddies snowmobile, but I didnt even touch it aside from to show it to another friend who showed up.  I wish I had left it at home honestly.  This shack is more than versatile enough.  I have a lot of work ahead of me because I havent unpacked a thing.  I started feeling ill before I left for the trip and now Im pretty sure I either have a cold or the flu.  It is pretty handy having everything in one place.  I just wish I had more storage to keep it more organized.  By the third day it was a disaster area with crap scattered about everywhere.  Now that I've had it out, I know where the weaknesses are and can improve upon them!

[prospector]

Looks great! Try using 6 gallon buckets for sleeves. They work for me.

[Whopper Stopper]

Always a few bugs! But as you eluded, you got them out of the way!

Next time will be a lot better!

    WS

[mnduckngoose]

I read a couple pages back about your drawer catches not holding as good as you would like. Try to find some magnet strips with adhesive on the back side and put on the drawer itself and the spot where the drawer meets the cabinet. Should help hold it in place better. And it will be completely hidden.

[Icer 16]

Nice looking shack you have there.  Thanks for the Pics

[Chris00WJ]

Looks great! Try using 6 gallon buckets for sleeves. They work for me.

Do you have any pictures of the 6 gallon buckets being used as sleeves?  Do they fit snug at the top?  Im very intrigued.

I know I havent posted in this for a long time, but I have been slowly plugging away.  Very very slowly.  I replaced the jack.  I've welded up the start of a folding bed frame against the one wall.  Queen sized heated RV mattress is ready to go in when its completed.  It's just too hot to weld in the garage at the moment.

And the biggest mod to date, I got the window installed!  36" x 22" swing out.  It also doubles as an emergency exit.  It was a huge pain in the rear to install, but it really opens the trailer up. 

Next mods will either be upper cabinets, or a couple 6v batteries to replace my crappy 12v battery.  Those mods will have to wait for the funds though.  The GF and I are going to Costa Rica this week, so that takes the budget for a bit!

[fish-kabob]

did you tint that window?  you could get a sheet of 1/8 inch thick polycarbonate tint it and lay it up against it during the day to prevent snow blindness from the bright sun and snow out side so you can still sight fish during the day?   I say the polycarbonate instead of the window glass cause you can take it down at night and see whos approaching you shanty... or even tip up flags at night with those lighted tip up lights you wont be able to see them threw window film tint at night. 

[Chris00WJ]

It is tinted.  Its a moderate tint, but certainly helps during the day.  At night, Im confident I'd still see lights or tip ups.  For during the day, I'm going to use the insulating foil type stuff cut to shape.  I'll try to friction fit it in the frame, but if I have to use velcro or something I will.  I want to be able to pull it back to still be able to check tip ups during the day.  This trailer also doubles as a quad hauler and camper during the summer months so a window was an absolute must.

I'll likely be installing another one in the door.  Oh, that reminds me.  I also installed an RV latch handle in the door.  The giant cargo bar works great when nobody is inside, but I wanted something simple to use when Im actually in the trailer.  I'll have to redo the weatherstripping to make sure its completely air tight, but thats minor.

[fish-kabob]

It is tinted.  Its a moderate tint, but certainly helps during the day.  At night, Im confident I'd still see lights or tip ups.  For during the day, I'm going to use the insulating foil type stuff cut to shape.  I'll try to friction fit it in the frame, but if I have to use velcro or something I will.  I want to be able to pull it back to still be able to check tip ups during the day.  This trailer also doubles as a quad hauler and camper during the summer months so a window was an absolute must.

I'll likely be installing another one in the door.  Oh, that reminds me.  I also installed an RV latch handle in the door.  The giant cargo bar works great when nobody is inside, but I wanted something simple to use when Im actually in the trailer.  I'll have to redo the weatherstripping to make sure its completely air tight, but thats minor.

I guess I got you thinking cause your thinking of some thing to black out the interior with the foil insolation...


also is a good time to shop for a a/c unit on sale too is around now if planning on camping in it might want to get a cheap window ac unit I forgot the square footage of your trailer.. but just remember to get a big enough unit to cool the whole trailer... not saying it has to be done this minute... I think you said your going on a vacation like said wait till after it only a suggestion thought for your comfort...

also what about 7 gallon bucket for the hatch hole wind guards cut the bottom off and slide them in the hole? not sure if they will fit or reach the ground if you cut the bottom off they should stack nicely together... I am sure places like us-plastics and u-line plastics has the spec's on their web sites  for 7 gallon buckets...   like they say measure twice cut once ...


also look around maybe you will find some cheap batteries and solar panel kit like the ones at northern tool they had a coleman kit  on clearance recently mite be worth it??? if you need the item number it is# 47668-1564 the last I look they were $24 2.5 watt battery maintainer... while gone it charges the batteries if any thing...   


also keep a eye out for some matching or not matching cabinets... for above the other cabinets like said there is always time just reminding you to look around see what you see on clearance...